There are two kinds of people in this world, Believers and Non-believers. Believers, whether they be Christians, Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Forth day advent hopists (who hop everywhere because their version of the bible had a misprint and they took it literally) all believe in their ancient scriptures and do not question it’s authenticity, accuracy, hypocrisy, origin or morality. Non-believers believe only in evidence - real world evidence of anything before they will accept it’s truth.

The war on terror we are now fighting is not a war against psychopathic fundamentalist extreme fruitcakes who have bastardised their holy scriptures to justify their own thirst for western blood. It’s a civil war between believers. It has nothing to do with the vast majority of the intelligent, educated demographic of the worlds population who fall into the non-believing category.

On one side we have Christianity and the other, Islam. The Generals directing the battles are George Bush and Osama Bin Laden. The worrying thing is that civil wars tend to be resolved only after one side has been totally annihilated by the other. To be honest that wouldn’t be so bad if it was just believers who perished. No doubt they’ll fully believe they’re martyrs to the cause and be happy about it. Unfortunately it’s the innocent non-believers, i.e. us, who have and will continue to get caught in the crossfire. See September 11th, 2001 as an example.

The tragedy here is that we’re letting it happen and we don’t have to. Because this is all carried out in the name of religion, the atheists of the planet feel they have to accept it. Religion even in the 21st century is afforded a level of respect like no other aspect of our lives. Despite the clear scientific evidence that proves that God does not exist. Despite the hypocrisy and lunacy in every holy book regardless of which faith it dictates to, we still see it as in some way different to our political ideologies for example and so it is not our place to question it.

I may begin my own religion which expressly forbids the paying of any taxes to a Government. I'll say the human incarnation of my God was forced, two centuries ago to give up the little amount of money he had in his little purse with which to feed his children, just to finance some Roman Emperors new sauna and so the non-paying of taxes is now the primary commandment of this religion and all its followers would then be able to enjoy tax free incomes forever.

If the South African Apartheid Governments had had their wits about them, they should have just claimed that their religion forbids mixed race communities and avoided all those sanctions. If it's Apartheid, the global community has to intervene, but if it's religion, well..we'd just have to accept it and let then get on with it and keep our opinions to ourselves.

Religion has an influence over matters of state all over the world, which is to be quite frank, alarming. Terrifying actually. Because religion is ring-fenced from everyday moral values and basic human rights, women are still stoned to death for adultery, people are murdered for having abortions, people are murdered for blasphemy and children are brainwashed and psychologically disturbed forever with their parents absolute consent.

Any parent who would happily read passages from the Old Testament to their children and happily take them to church where they can learn that unless they behave, they will burn forever in hell and where they can also learn about Abraham, the Patriarch of all three monotheist religions, and how he was quite willing to shove his only son on a bonfire just to show God how strong his faith was, is succeeding only in psychologically abusing their child. Any other form of literature with the same content as the Old Testament read to a five year old every night by a parent would be absolutely unacceptable to normal society. But because it’s the Bible/Torah/Koran, it is encouraged.

What sort of a parent for example, would read Mein Kampf to a child before he went to sleep every night, and how would you feel about that parent if he lived next door to you? The psychological torment experienced by thousands of innocent children here and especially in America causes long term damage that lasts into adulthood and in many ways is just as damaging as the physical and sexual abuse Catholic Priests seem so incapable of preventing themselves from inflicting on altar boys. Any man who Sodomises a child can expect to go to jail forever. A Catholic Priest can expect a thorough talking to.

Children should never be told what to think, they should be taught how to think. Once they have a level of intelligence that allows them to understand religion and what they might be getting themselves into, then they can decide. To indoctrinate a child into a religion is the most obscene violation of a child’s innocence.

This civil war we now have amongst Believers and our complete reluctance to stop it, or at least stop it from destroying us, is the mother of all Emperors new clothes moments. Every time I hear some bishop or cardinal giving his opinion on abortion or some other social issue as if he is in some way an authority on the subject, I shout at my TV. What the fuck has it got to do with them!? Who the fuck are they to tell a thirteen year old girl who has been raped, that she can’t have an abortion because she will then be a murderer? Why are religious leaders given a seat at the table of any serious debate anymore than someone who believes in the Loch Ness Monster or fairies?

I can’t surely be the only one that finds it terrifying and incomprehensible that the most powerful men on this planet are all driven by ancient scriptures written during a time when a man could be beheaded for collecting fire wood on the Sabbath. I am absolutely incredulous that 21st century wars are essentially started on the strength of centuries old Chinese whispers.

Religious extremism is a fallacy. All religion is extreme. It’s an extreme form of delusion that causes reasonable people to do unreasonable things. The pilots of those planes that ploughed into the World Trade Centre were normal everyday educated men. They were perfect neighbours and probably very good company on an evening out as were the cricket playing suicide bombers who tried to remove sections of London from the map on July 7th, 2005. They did what they did because they were taught from the cradle that martyring themselves in this way would lead to Paradise and they absolutely believed it. They didn’t hate democracy or Bush or Tony Blair and Western culture and Nike and Pepsi, they absolutely loved Allah and wanted to be with him, playing cricket in paradise. No shit…and the Christian equivalent is equally as baffling and dangerous and threatening to our futures.

I’d bring this all up at the next big Atheist meeting, only there isn’t one. And we’d probably be banned from having one too as it would be considered offensive to the church or the local muslim community. I could go on, but I’m tired now and feel sick. So as they say, finish on a song. And if you really have a point to make, why not make it with a Guns n Roses song. Seems quite apt really.

Everything in the video below has been caused by religion, read the lyrics and you too can be the little boy who had the courage to question why the fat Emperor was naked. If you feel really strongly, you might even have to courage to laugh at his little cock too.